Books

World Book Day reveals 2025 £1 books to encourage more children to Read Their Way

Fifteen new £1/€1.50 books announced for World Book Day 2025
Authors Joseph Coelho, Stephen Mangan, Julia Donaldson and Benjamin Dean are amongst those joining the World Book Day 2025 line-up
Books from family-loved brands Bluey, Paddington, Pokémon and the LEGO® Group will also be available for free, in exchange for a £1 book token
In 2024, more than 32.3 million book tokens were distributed by World Book Day through schools, magazines and partnerships

Ahead of World Book Day®’s annual celebration to encourage reading for pleasure on 6^th March 2025, the charity has revealed the 15 £1/€1.50 books that children will be able to choose for free, in exchange for their £1 token.

Children were involved in selecting the titles, putting World Book Day’s commitment to children Reading Their Way at the heart of its work. There are an exciting range of £1/€1.50 books for 2025, appealing to a whole range of readers, from beginners to teens, for all to enjoy reading for fun.

At the core of the charity’s work to change lives through reading is the opportunity for all children to have a book of their own. Almost 1 million children in the UK don’t own a book,^[1] which rises to one in 8 for children eligible for Free School Meals. A quarter of children receiving Free School Meals said that the book they ‘bought’ with their World Book Day token was the first book of their own.^[2]

The £1/€1.50 book line-up includes short stories from firm family favourites Bluey and Paddington Bear for beginning and early reading abilities, as well as a search-and-find story from Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, and a selection of poems for every occasion from the 2022-2024 Children’s Laureate Joesph Coelho.

For more fluent and independent readers, Benjamin Dean captivates young adults with a standalone thriller, while Tom Palmer scores with ‘The Soccer Diaries: Rocky Takes the Lead’. Books featuring the beloved and globally renowned brands Pokémon and the LEGO® Group also feature in this year’s selection for children across the UK and Ireland to enjoy.

Supported by long-term sponsor, National Book Tokens, and working alongside publishers and booksellers, World Book Day will build on its work to improve access to books and encouraging everyone to give children the choice – and a chance – to enjoy reading.

Cassie Chadderton, CEO of World Book Day comments:

“We’re encouraging children to Read Their Way, choosing what and how they read for themselves. When children have the freedom to explore books on their own terms, many more will benefit from the well-being, educational and other benefits that reading for pleasure brings.”

World Book Day 2025 author, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, adds:

“My World Book Day copy of STEALER OF SOULS by Dianne Wynne Jones still has pride of place on my favourites shelf. I remember the heady feeling of choosing it, handing over a token that came direct to me. This sense of ownership over stories is something that can’t be underestimated for children – the impact of choice, a book written specifically for the purposes of their enjoyment and selection.

To be a World Book Day author feels like a full circle moment, and a fantastic opportunity to enthuse the readers who most need books, exactly because they may not feel they are for them. I’m delighted to be a part of World Book Day – this time as an author – and support the charity’s cause in helping grow children’s imaginations and horizons, as well as their bookshelves.”

World Book Day’s Impact Report 2024^[3] reveals how World Book Day influences the reading lives, and life chances, of children across the UK. According to the report, one in five children feel judged for what they read, so World Book Day both enables and empowers children and young people to experience reading on their own terms, and as a hobby.

Reading for pleasure continues to be the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success – more than family circumstances, parents’ educational background or their income.^[4] Last year World Book Day made sure 104,400 £1 books got directly to children in areas of high deprivation and low literacy across the UK, and over 2 million £1/€1.50 books were gifted to children by booksellers and publishers across the country.

“One of the children…said that she didn’t have any books of her own at home but has got a World Book Day book now.”

World Book Day’s 2025 £1 /€1.50 books include:

BEGINNING

The Magic Balloon by Carl Anka, illustrated by Amanda Quartey, published by DK Children’s, in collaboration with Woke Babies
When a rogue kick means a football is lost in the weeds, the last thing these friends expect to find buried amongst the nettles is a colourful hot air balloon! One step inside sparks magic and, all of a sudden, they find themselves flying away, soaring high above the clouds. Look! There’s the school, and there! The local shop! But wait, it’s all getting smaller as the balloon rises up…up…and up! Whizz under rainbows, through rain clouds and into space to float beside the stars in this whimsical, cosmic adventure, seeing the world in a completely different way. . . Written by award winning author Carl Anka, illustrated by Amanda Quartey and made in collaboration with Woke Babies; this book is a magical combination of talent and humour, creating the perfect escape for all adventurers big and small. Climb aboard for a brilliant balloon adventure to celebrate World Book Day 2025

Bluey’s Little Book, published by Ladybird
Meet Bluey and Bingo and all their family, friends and toys. For real life! The book introduces key characters – Bluey, Bingo, Bandit, Chilli, some of Bluey’s favourite friends and also includes games from the show to play at home.

BLUEY TM and BLUEY character logos TM & © Ludo Studio Pty Ltd 2018. Licensed by BBC Studios. BBC logo TM & © BBC 1996

Who’s in Acorn Wood? by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler, published by Macmillan Children’s Books

Welcome to Acorn Wood! Come and meet Bear, Fox, Mole and all their animal friends in this fun rhyming search-and-find story. Perfect for fans of the bestselling Tales from Acorn Wood preschool stories by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, which have been delighting parents and children for twenty-five years.

Barbara’s Very Useful Guide to Moods by Nadia Shireen, published by Puffin
Fans of Barbara Throws a Wobbler – and anyone who has had a mood! – will love this story for beginner readers! Barbara’s Very Useful Guide to Moods by Nadia Shireen takes us through a day full of big emotions in this hilarious guide to what we feel.

EARLY

The Adventures of Paddington: Farm Escape! published by HarperCollins Children’s Books

A hilarious new picture book story based on the award-winning animated TV series, The Adventures of Paddington. Paddington can’t wait to spend the day at the City Farm with his new friend Baaz. But when he forgets to shut the gate, all the animals escape! Will Paddington and Baaz be able to find all the runaway animals in time for the City Farm’s big opening event?

Pokémon: The Epic Pocket Guide by Pokémon, published by Farshore

Become an instant expert on awesome Pokémon and their Trainers! Discover special skills and epic Evolutions and learn about legendary battles and super stats. With this epic Pocket-sized Pokémon guide, you’ll be a top Trainer in no time!

All Poems Aloud by Joseph Coelho, illustrated by Daniel Gray-Barnett, published by Quarto (Wide Eyed Editions)

The poems in this book want to be read aloud! Read these poems to yourself or to a friend, loudly, softly or in a whisper. There are poems to make you laugh, testing tongue twisters and poems to make you think. From Children’s Laureate 2022-2024, here are all sorts of poems, for every occasion and every voice.

Fox & Son Tailers by Paddy Donnelly, published by the O’Brien Press

Rory’s dad, Fox, is a tailer. The BEST in the business! Animals come from all over to have their tails made by him. Rory helps in the shop and one of his jobs is measuring the customers for the tails – which isn’t always easy! But Rory is bored of making the same old tails. He has his own amazing ideas …

FLUENT

LEGO® Our Amazing Universe by Jennifer Swanson and Arwen Hubbard, illustrated by Simon Pickard, published by Dorling Kindersley
Explore the wonders of the world and the furthest frontiers of space – and learn to build the universe’s most incredible sights with LEGO® bricks! Look inside volcanoes, travel to the deepest depths of the ocean, find out what happens inside a black hole, send a message to aliens, and much, much more! Includes more than 70 LEGO models to inspire you!

The Soccer Diaries: Rocky Takes the Lead by Tom Palmer, published by Rebellion Publishing
Rocky Race loves football so much that she moved to the United States to train at a high school with an amazing soccer team. She’s made new friends, even won a state championship! Now her best friends from her home in Melchester, England, have come to play a match against her new American team. Rocky is so excited!

But when her friends arrive, not everyone gets along. Her American friends don’t understand why the British call it ‘football’, and her British friends don’t understand why the Americans call it ‘soccer’. And with the match the next day, Rocky feels pressured to pick a side. But Rocky has a plan.

Will Rocky be able to take the lead and show everyone that they’re all united by their love for the game?

The Fart that Broke World Book Day, by Stephen Mangan, illustrated by Anita Mangan, published by Scholastic

It’s World Book Day and school is buzzing with excitement. But something smells funny… in every classroom, there’s a teacher letting go of a long, loud, ground-shaking, ground-breaking fart. And when our hero spots a fellow pupil (dressed up almost too convincingly as an alien) hovering by the teachers’ bums, and then discovers what looks like a spaceship powered by farts behind a hedge, he’s on a mission to stop some unexpected visitors from kicking up a massive stink!

The Wolf Trials by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, illustrated by Manuel Šumberac, published by Hachette Children’s Group
Eira’s always wanted to compete in the Wolf Trials. The winners become part of the Ryders, an elite group of warriors who ride gigantic sea wolves. There’s only one problem: Eira can’t take part, because her mother is the fearsome Wolf Queen. She won’t let that stop her, though. Eira decides to disguise herself and compete . . . but will she succeed? Will she be recognised? And most importantly of all . . . will she survive the Wolf Trials?

INDEPENDENT

This Story is a Lie by Benjamin Dean, published by Simon & Schuster

Harley Matthews is used to fading into the background. But all that changes when he is selected to take part in the Rising Stars programme for gifted and talented students.

Harley’s world is soon turned upside down as he’s thrust into the school’s limelight. So much for laying low. And when he finds a chalk outline of his body drawn at the bottom of the school stairs, he has to face the reality that someone wants him out of the competition – permanently. But the underdog deserves to win, right?

Remember, this story is a lie.

[1] National Literacy Trust Research 2023

[2] National Literacy Trust, Annual Literacy Survey 2024

[3] World Book Day Impact Report 2024

[4] https://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/pisainfocus/48624701.pdf